When the presence or absence of a malfunction is respectively determined in a decoloring section or a separation device, and it is determined that either the decoloring section or the separation device is malfunctioning, only the other is executable.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A decoloring device including: a first unit that includes: a sheet supply tray, a first sheet discharge tray, a first sheet carrying path that conveys a sheet supplied from the sheet supply tray to the sheet discharge tray, a decoloring section that decolors an image formed by a decolorable colorant on the sheet that is carried on the first sheet carrying path, a separation section that includes a scanner for reading the sheet decolored by the decoloring section, the separation section configured to discharge the sheet that the decoloring section has decolored to any one of a plurality of discharge destinations including the first sheet discharge tray based on a reading result of the scanner, a second sheet carrying path that diverges from the first sheet carrying path and that conveys the sheet that the decoloring section decolors to the separation section, and a flapper that switches a carrying destination of the sheet that passes through the decoloring section to the first sheet discharge tray on the first sheet carrying path or to the second sheet carrying path; and a second unit that is attachable to and detachable from the first unit and is one of the plurality of discharge destinations, and that includes a second sheet discharge tray that receives the sheet that is discharged to the second unit.
2. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a third unit that is attachable to and detachable from the second unit and is one of the plurality of discharge destinations, the third unit including a third sheet discharge tray, wherein the second unit includes divergent carrying paths that are configured to convey the sheet conveyed from the first unit to one of the second sheet discharge tray and the third sheet discharge tray.
3. The device according to claim 2 , wherein an interval between carrying roller groups in the second unit is different from an interval between carrying roller groups in the third unit.
4. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the interval between carrying roller groups in the second unit is narrower than the interval between carrying roller groups in the third unit.
5. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the third sheet discharge tray is movable upward and downward by an ascending and descending mechanism.
6. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the third sheet discharge tray has a load capacity different from a load capacity of the second sheet discharge tray.
7. The device according to claim 2 , wherein the second unit and the third unit have the same configuration.
8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the second unit includes divergent carrying paths that are each configured to convey the sheet conveyed from the first unit to one of a plurality of sheet discharge trays including the second sheet discharge tray.
9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the second sheet discharge tray receives a sheet that is determined to be not reusable.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
August 16, 2013
March 24, 2015
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